Well, summer is definitely here, the heat is miserable. But at least it is low humidity, around 44-50 %, which was nice for lunch outside with some of the guild gals on Thursday. As I spend time watering my pots and flower beds, I am delighted with the flowers coming into bloom now. The day lilies have begun their show. This pink one is lovely with ruffled edges.
Right next to it is this one with the bright yellow throat and the dark purple, ruffled edges.
Next to the iris beds, another one with bright yellow petals and burgundy throat is blooming.
The tomatoes and squash are looking good.
I hope with this number of blooms this year, that I might actually harvest some squash.
The tomatoes are beginning, can’t wait for these heirlooms to get big and ripen.
On the feeder, a chickadee pauses to check me out before going back to his feast.
A song sparrow stopped by for a meal. Not much to look at in his plumage, but he sings brilliantly.
Gracie came over to beg a sandwich.
And one of her offspring got one too.
On the stone steps, a fence lizard sunned himself while keeping a wary eye on me. I talked to him as I crept down the steps beside him to look at the hydrangeas. He doesn’t trust me, but didn’t run off.
The hydrangea shrub is taller than I am, looking up at the top of the bush to the flowers, they are gorgeous in the waning evening light. Some are more blue than I like, so I put more lime on the top soil, and watered it in.
I hope it will push more blooms to the pretty lavendar color I like best like this one:
Speaking of lavendar, I received a box of lovely, hand milled, lavendar soaps this week, enough for out next delivery to Safelight. Giving a big round of applause and thanks to Liz H for her incredible generosity.
And more lavendar is on the way when the hosta blooms come out. They have a good start on a lovely display. They usually bloom at the same time as the apricot gladiolas, and I need to look for those this week.
I made one of my favorite chicken dishes this week. I wrapped a boneless, skinless chicken breast in bacon and baked it for 45 minutes, only until the temperature reached 165º. Cook these too long and they turn into rubber. Then I wilted some spinach in a saute pan and placed it on a plate, topped with a disc of herbed goat cheese.
Slices of the bacon-wrapped chicken are placed on top. The heat of the spinach and chicken melts the goat cheese.
Top with some chopped green onion and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and you have a gourmet meal in just a few minutes of prep time.
After supper, it is lovely to sit in the rockers to watch the evening light. The impatiens are huge now, and covered in white flowers.
The dahlias are blooming now too, with tall upright stems.
Next to their pot, a profusion of yellow pansies continues to bloom.
Only one pot of petunias is doing well. The other three are struggling, and I do not know why. They all get the same soil, light and water. One looks lush and full, the rest barely have one or two plants left that have not grown.
Ah, well, the impatiens and begonias make up for them.
The birdcage has never been so lush and full.
While relaxing in the rocker, I am still taking photos of birds in trees. I have to figure out better camera setting as they are still just a bit blurry. But, getting closer to what I want for a State Fair entry. This goldfinch was very patient while I took a half dozen shots before he flew away.
If you missed Friday’s post, there are still items left in the Sample Sale. This week, I’ll have a bit more time to sew and work on an idea for Christmas in July. How much of an event that will be remains to be determined, but I am getting excited about some new ideas. Stay tuned!
What are you working on this week?
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From My Carolina Home 
Love seeing your flowers Carole, and hearing about the plants and wildlife. It was a cloudy cold week here (35 one morning!) with a disappointing .8 inch of rain. This week will be warmer, but the weeding continues. We made great progress yesterday, but not finished yet, and having to try and maintain what we have done is daunting right now. DH is going to concentrate on getting plastic down between the raised beds this week and I am going to head to the front and deal with the area under the plum trees. I have been sewing a bit each day, and am almost finished with a pair of jeans I started before Bandit arrived 2 years ago! Next up will be a couple of pot holders and the cornerstones for the last border on my Alaska quilt. I need to decide how to handle that final border. I have enough room to do appliqué or fancy quilting, just need to decide what it will be. It could be ready for the fair in mid August, or maybe not.
Beautiful daylilies, Carole! It is hot here and watering is a must every morning, bright and early. Thanks for sharing all of the beauty of your mountain home!
lovely flowers and the meal looks wonderful as well
Your day lilies are gorgeous as are all your plants. Nice lot of little visitors called by. Your meal looked very tasty for a hot evening too.
My garden is going into sleep mode with not much going on. We have had a lot of rain recently but it seems there are a couple of super days in store for us next week which I have earmarked for garden care. Being an island it will probably pass over without bothering to pause.
Mary :))
I always enjoy all the pictures of your flowers. The day lilies are especially lovely. We had a bunny family move in this year to our back yard and they have been wreaking havoc on my plants. Our dill and pansies have been munched to nothing and they took after my lilies yesterday.
I’m excited to see what you come up with for Christmas in July. I have been making book bags for my kids to bring with them to the library this summer. They are Harry Potter themed. Hopefully after that I can get back to the 3 UFO’s I have been working on recently.
So many beautiful flowers and birds! Your vegetables are looking good too, hopefully you will have a good crop~ always love seeing the squirrels with their sandwiches 🙂 Have a great week and stay cool~
Jenna
All of your blooming plants look lovely, Carole! I haven’t tried growing day lilies, but always admire them when people share them on blogs. Your chicken meal sounds yummy, too! Have a wonderful Sunday!
Your flowers are spectacular. The heat is on here as well, highs hovering ~90° with warm nights in the 70°s and a bit of humidity. Beautiful summer weather!
Thank you for sharing the photos of your extended “family” and the gorgeous flowers. The recipe for the boneless, skinless chicken breast with spinach and goat cheese is right up my alley.
Yes, looks like you’re headed for a squash harvest! We have 20 butternut squash plants in the field. We’ll fertilize them in 2 or 3 weeks so they keep their vigor. We fenced the squash field to keep out the woodchucks and deer.
Your flowers are beautiful!
There is so much beauty to be seen in your garden, and it must be so pleasant sitting and relaxing on your deck
Like a wonderful, stressfree vacation reading this! Such beautiful photos of everything. I’m just researching bird feeders. We lost all 7 of our trees last year but I have a pair of doves that sit on the porch bannister for a couple minutes every day. I’d like to have a little snack for them. Will stop by the local shop but if you have any suggestions…. Thanks!
It all looks beautiful, Carole — and tasty, too. I love a good goat cheese and with the spinach, lovely. Fabulous blooms, everything works so well together! Happy new week!